If you need a case with space consider this member of the Storm family, the CM Storm Stryker XL-ATX case. At 250x605x578mm (9.8x23.8x22.8") it will not fit under every desk but will hold a significant amount of hardware, you can fit up to 13 drives depending on the configuration of the HDD cages and it sports 9 add-in card slots on the back. With fans on both the top and the bottom of the case, you could easily attach a radiator to the case or make do with great airflow if you do not desire to watercool. Modders Inc was not only impressed by the brilliant white finish, they could not find a single bad thing to say about this case.

"The modular hard drive case setup was a great bonus to find when diving further into the case. These features, plus the fan controller, cable grip holder, and all the included fans that provide a constant flow of cooling air through the case really makes the CM Storm Stryker a well desired case."

Hong Kong-based PC cooling company GELID Solutions launched a new low-profile CPU cooler yesterday called the SlimHero. The new SlimHero cooler joins the existing Silent HSF series, and is a mere 59mm high.

The low profile cooler measures 131 x 123 x 59mm including the fan and weighs 352g. The SlimHero cooler features four copper heatpipes connecting a copper block to a horizontal aluminum fin array. A 120mm fan is then mounted on top of the heatsink to push cool air over the fins and VRM area surrounding the processor. It is rated to cool processors up to 136 TDPs and is compatible with all of Intel and AMD's latest consumer sockets. On the AMD side, the cooler can be mounted in one of four directions on AM2, AM2, AM3, AM3+, FM1, and FM2.Further, it is compatible with Intel's LGA 775, 1156, 1366, and 1155 sockets.

The heatsink comes bundled with a 120mm fan and GC-2 thermal compound. The fan is PWM controlled and can spin at anywhere between 750 and 1600 RPM. GELID rates the 120mm fan at 52.4 CFM and 12-25.4 dBA.

The new cooler is designed to work with small form factor systems without getting in the way of RAM or VRM heat-spreaders. It comes with a 5 year warranty and is available now for an MSRP of $32 USD (25 EUR).

Noctua has launched two new single-tower air coolers in the NH-U series. The new NH-U12S and NH-U14S slim tower coolers come in both 120mm and 140mm sizes respectively. The air coolers are slim-enough to be installed in most system configurations, even with tall RAM heat-spreaders in use.

The Noctua NH-U12S is an updated version of the company's NH-U12P-SE2 cooler. It features a 45mm thick tower heatsink paired with a 120mm NF-F12 fan.

On the other hand, the NH-U14S is Noctua's first air cooler sporting a 140mm fan. The cooler is 52mm thick, and is compatible with Intel's enthusiast LGA 2011/X79 platform. Further, it uses NF-A15 140mm fan that provides ample cooling power at lower RPMs (which means less noise, ideally).

Both the NH-U12S and NH-U14S air coolers include Noctua's SecureFirm 2 mounting system, NT-H1 thermal compound, and PWM-controlled fans. Users can also attach the low-noise adapter to reduce the maximum fan speed from 1500 to 1200 RPM should they value quiet operation over maximum performance. Noctua is supporting both air coolers with a 6 year manufacturer warranty.

Both the 120mm NH-U12S and 140mm NH-U14S will be "available shortly" according to Noctua. The NH-U12S has an MSRP of $64.90 USD (59.90 EUR), while the larger NH-U14S is priced at $79.90 USD (69.90 EUR). In all, they appear to be decent air cooling options, and Noctua has demonstrated quality support in the past (such as the free Haswell mounting kit upgrades for older HSFs). Personally, I'm interested to see how the 140mm unit performs.

Thermaltake recently launched the Urban S71 full tower chassis to round out its Urban line of cases (like its Urban S21 mid-tower). The S71 is constructed of SECC steel, weighs approximately 24 pounds, and measures 21 x 8.4 x 23-inches (534 x 213 x 584mm). The black brushed metal design is aesthetically pleasing and sound dampening foam reduces noise. Thermaltake is offering up two models: the VP500M1W2N with a side panel window and the VP500M1N2N without a window (and with more sound dampening foam).

The Urban S71 chassis features a brushed aluminum front door that conceals three 5.25" bays and one 3.5" drive bay. The top of the case hosts a docking station for a 2.5" or 3.5" hard drive. The top-front of the case includes the following IO options:

2 x USB 3.0

2 x USB 2.0

1 x Mic In

1 x Headphone Out

1 x Power button (plus LED)

1 x Reset button (plus LED)

Pre-installed cooling options include two 200mm fans (at the front and top vents) and one 120mm high speed rear fan. The case includes removable dust filters on the top, front, and bottom vents. There is also room for a fan in bottom of the case, but is not included out of the box.

The interior of Thermaltake's Urban S71 chassis includes support for motherboards up to E-ATX in size and graphics cards up to 344mm in length. Cable routing and water cooling grommets are included on the motherboard tray and rear IO respectively. There are also eight total expansion slots and 6 3.5" drive bays (one externally-accessible). The top case ventilation slot(s) can support up to a 240mm water cooling radiator as well (like the Corsair H100).

In all, the Urban S71 is an impressive case with quite a few useful features. There is no word on pricing or availability yet, however.

The NZXT Phantom 630 is much more expensive than many of their models, the $180 price tag puts it in contention with many other long standing high end case manufacturers. This price is justified in many ways, especially the sheer size of the 12.3kg (27.1lb) case which measures 245x627x600mm (9.7x24.7x23.6") and can accept a 170mm tall CPU cooler even with the 200mm side panel case fan installed. Perhaps not the most unobtrusive of cases but it provides enough elbow width to make installing a system much more comfortable. It also gives enough space to either set up watercooling or to depend on aircooling as this case accommodates up to four 140 or 120mm fans and four 200mm fans of which three can be swapped for a higher number of 140 or 120mm fans to accommodate radiators with different fan sizes. Check out the drive capacity and more at [H]ard|OCP.

"NZXT's new enthusiast computer case, the Phantom 630, looks to be truly designed for the computer hardware enthusiast and does not just carry the label like so many other products. NZXT has built the chassis with the end user in mind that wants to take things up a notch and not be annoyed when trying to accomplish his build goals."

Impactics is the latest company to launch its own small form factor case for Intel's Next Unit of Computing (NUC) platform. More heatsink than chassis, the new D1NU chassis sandwiches an Intel NUC motherboard and other internals between two aluminum fin heatsinks. The D1NU measures 170 x 114 x 67mm and weighs 1380g.

The D1NU supports Intel's D33217GKE and DCP847SKE motherboards. The motherboard and other components are attached to a solid piece of precision milled 99.99% electrolytic copper (220g), and then to an aluminum heatsink.

The case seals the components between a top and bottom heatsink and then a 4mm aluminum front bezel and a rear chromium steel bezel with EM shield. The D1NU case/heatsink supports a 25W TDP, and has an MSRP of 99 euros. The front bezel hosts a power button with blue LED and space for a single USB port. The rear of the case can support the outputs of either Intel's Golden Lake or Ski Lake boards. A VESA mount is also in the works. The D1NU comes in silver or black.

According to Fanless Tech, the passive NUC case is now available in Europe for €100 Euros from Case King or £87 pounds from Systo.co.uk. No word yet on whether it will show up on this side of the pond, but (although it is a bit pricey) it is certainly a cool NUC heatsink/case (heh)!

The XFX ProSeries 650W PSU is mostly modular, with only the ATX connector attached, has a 135mm cooling fan and can send 98% of its total wattage to the single 53A 12V rail. With four 6+2 PCIe power connectors you will be able to handle multiple GPUs and the 8 SATA connectors should allow you as many storage devices as you need. Unfortunately [H]ard|OCP discovered something about the 5 year warranty which greatly displeased them; unless you register your PSU within 30 days of purchase, you only receive a 2 year warranty. If you are strictly concerned about the quality of the power this PSU delivers and are ambivalent towards the warranty, this PSU passed [H]'s torture tests handily which is something not every PSU can claim.

"XFX has long and actually very solid history of producing high quality enthusiast power supplies. We have consistently found XFX PSUs worthy of [H] Editor's Choice Awards. Today the XFX ProSeries 650W promises "One Rail, One Setup" in a PSU that is different. Let's see if that is good or bad."

FanlessTech recently spotted two new fan-less and small form factor cases from Akasa ahead of the official launch. The Akasa Galileo and Akasa Newton are compatible with thin Mini-ITX and Intel's Next Unit of Computing (NUC) motherboards respectively.

Both cases are constructed of aluminum, have VESA mounting holes, and double as a fan-less heatsink for your components. The Galileo is 37mm thick and can cool processors rated up to a 35W TDP. The Newton is a small case with fins around the sides to increase surface area (for better cooling capability), and aesthetic flair.

According to Fanless Tech, the two PC cases will be officially unveiled at Computex in Taipei, Taiwan this summer. There is no word on pricing or when they will be available for purchase, however.

Efficient cooling has always and will always be a limiter on the power of processors, especially as the processes used shrink and transistor density increases. Over the years we have seen heatpipes become common and watercooling move into the mainstream with the advent of all-in-one coolers. Thermal interface material has not changed much, even though we have heard of many developments nothing has been released to market. Carbon black proved to be too long in development and might be replaced by nanotube forests though there is do it yourself thermal paste doped with diamonds that you can make right now.

From there we saw a project doping thermal paste with graphene, which could provide conductivity of up to 600 W/mK once it becomes available, hopefully in sheet form for easy installation. Increasing the thermal conductivity of your TIM is a good thing, assuming that the heatsink absorbing the heat can keep up with the transfer which is what makes the news out of FrostyTech so interesting. Researchers are sandwiching a material they call K-Core Annealed Pyrolytic Graphite in between layers of aluminium and other metals to create a heatsink with a thermal conductivity of up to 1092W/mK in certain situations. It is not as simple as doping a heatsink with this new material though, it is only efficient at moving heat horizontally. Read on to find out more at FrostyTech.

"When the thermal conductivity of copper and aluminum heat spreaders just won't cut it, the future revolves around a material called Annealed Pyrolytic Graphite. Let's consider the numbers: where a solid aluminum heat spreader has a thermal conductivity of 126W/mK, the same heatspreader with an Annealed Pyrolytic Graphite core would see thermal conductivity on the order of 1092 W/mK. That's not a typo."

If you are looking to power a small form factor system and need a fully modular PSU in order to get it into a tightly packed case as well as high efficiency the SilverStone SFX ST45SF-G 450W is a decent choice. It is Fully modular and is an SFX PSU, which as you might remember from Lee's review means that it lacks a -5V rail, not a necessary feature in today's systems. [H]ard|OCP granted an award to this PSU, not because it is the best 450W PSU available, which is not, but because it is the best fully modular SFX PSU they have seen and they realize sacrifices have to be made in a PSU which is barely able to fit an 80mm fan inside. Check out the full review to see if you think this PSU is worth the price premium or if you might just consider a larger PSU for your HTPC.

"Silverstone is one of our favorite computer power supply builders as the company has a tremendous track record when it comes to high quality and quiet power for our desktop systems. Today we look at something a bit different in terms of scale, a PSU pushing 450 watts of power in a package half the size with its sights on the SFF market."

Swiftech has made an All In One watercooler with a bit of a difference, not only will it work straight out of the box, changing the fluid and tubing will not void your warranty like many other AIO coolers. The 269mm x 127mm x 29mm radiator has a pair of 120mm fans cooling it, an unsealed Fill Port for changing your cooling liquid and two ports for 5/8" outer, 3/8" inner tubing which can also be swapped out. Pro-Clockers found it to be a decent performer though somewhat outclassed by coolers using 140mm fans but far more flexible and upgradeable. If you are looking for an AIO cooler that you can add to later on then keep your eyes our for the Swiftech H220 which should be for sale in the very near future.

"Swiftech has been sitting back in the cut watching the market and seeing what to do and what more they can do to make their entry into the lower cost AiO market. That entry is the H220 Compact Drive II CPU Cooler. Gabe and company has release a cooler than is more than “an install it and leave it type” solution. This new cooler can be upgraded in many ways. Meaning you can add water blocks as your system grows, refill with the liquid of your liking, add more tubing to accommodate the added blocks as well as other steps to assure that you have a water-cooling system for a life time."

The micro ATX case supports motherboards of the Mini-ITX, DTX, and Micro ATX flavors. Further, it can support graphics cards up to 350mm in length and CPU coolers up to 148mm in height. Two optical disk drives, either three vertically mounted 2.5” SSDs or two 3.5” HDDs, and four PCI expansion slots round out the storage and expansion options.The hard drives feature anti-vibration grommets, and the fan spots include dust filters.

On the outside, the Core 1000 USB 3.0 case is flat black with a large mesh front panel and side panel vent. The right side of the case holds the front IO panel, which consists of:

1 x USB 3.0

1 x USB 2.0

2 x Audio jacks

1 x HDD activity indicator light

1 x Power button

1 x Reset button

The inside of the case is rather spartan. There are no cable routing holes, water cooling grommets, CPU cutouts, or other fancy features. It has an ATX power supply spot at the top of the case, motherboard standoffs, and drive cages. Just enough to get the job done, in other words.

Fractal Design includes a single Silent Series R2 120mm intake fan, but the case can actually support a total of three fans. There are spots for:

1 x 120mm (front intake)

1 x 92mm (rear exhaust)

1 x 120mm (side panel)

There is no word on pricing or availability yet, but expect it to run around $40-50. More photos and specifications are available on the Fractal Design website.

The Corsair H90 and H110 use larger 140mm fans with 140mm and and 280mm radiators respectively. [H]ard|OCP compared them to also relatively recent H100i and H80i, 120mm based coolers that are controllable with Corsair's LINK technology. The comparison was rather favourable for the new 140mm coolers, with both new models beating the H100i at stocks speeds and beating their respective cousins on an overclocked chip; perhaps more importantly these two models did so with noticeably reduced sound levels. If you need serious cooling and aren't crazy about noise, these two coolers should be on your list.

"Corsair, once known only for quality enthusiast RAM modules, has successfully diversified its products reaching into cases, power supplies, processor cooling solutions. With the release of the H90 and H110 Hydro Series, we see the first new refresh in its closed loop liquid cooling systems."

The new chassis is all black and features a brushed metal design on the front panel. The brushed metal front door hides the externally-accessible drives. At the top of the front panel, the case features two USB 3.0 ports and two audio jacks. A power LED along with both power and reset button adorns the top-edge of the case. The side panel has space for one 120mm fan as well as a clear window above it that is about the size of a 120mm fan. Four large case feet hold the mid tower above the floor, allowing the PSU intake and an (optional) additional 120mm fan to bring cool air into the case.

Thermaltake includes two 120mm fans, but the case itself can support a maximum of five 120mm fans. The Urban S21 case interior features tool-less drive bays for up to six hard drives and three optical drives. Further, it has cable management holes, water cooling grommets, a bottom-mounted power supply, and a CPU cutout.

Thermaltake’s Urban S21 case looks good and has a decent feature set. The case will reportedly go on sale sometime this month, but the company has not yet announced pricing. Here’s hoping the price is right as it is looking like a nice mid-tower case so far! You can find more specifications on the Urban S21 on this product page.

If you ignore the interesting choice of names, the Enermax Triathlor 650W looks good on paper with mostly modular cabling, an 80 Plus Bronze rating and a $120 price tag. With four 6+2 PCIe power connectors and a pair of 30A 12V rails it will handle SLI/Crossfire of mid range cards but will probably have trouble with multiple flagship GPUs. Hardware Secrets like the amount of available cabling and the quiet operation of the PSU but unfortunately they were not terribly impressed with the voltage regulation when it was run at full power. Taking that into account, as well as the fact that similar PSUs tend to cost less than $100, they have difficulty recommending this PSU in the current market.

"The Triathlor FC is the latest power supply series with the 80 Plus Bronze certification from Enermax, coming to replace the MODU82+ series. So far, three models were released: 550 W, 650 W, and 700 W. Let's see if the 650 W model is a good buy."

At 126mm x 57mm x 157mm (5" x 2.2" x 6.2") the PH-TC12DX heatsink is tall enough to cause some problems with small cases but is tall enough it will not interfere with your RAM like some other large coolers can. With only two screws to secure the heatsink [H]ard|OCP had no troubles installing it on the motherboards they tested it on. When they tested its ability to remove heat they were more than impressed, with a pair of fans this air cooler outperformed Corsair's H80i, a feat made even more impressive by the fact that it operated more quietly as well. At $60 it is also cheaper and well worth considering on your next build.

"Phanteks has high hopes for its sweetly named PH-TC12DX CPU air cooler. OK, maybe not that sweet, but with a patented "Physical Antioxidant Thermal Shield" and "Cold Plasma Spraying Coating Technology" technology this thing has got to be greatest heatsink and fan combination ever made, right?"

If you are bored of the standard 1 kilogram block of shiny silver metal heatsink in your case, Prolimatech has something for you; the Genesis Black. With six heatpipes and the ability to support up to three 140mm fans, the black finish on the aluminium heatsinks and the unique horizontal and vertical design will make your system stand out. On many modern motherboards, that second fin should float above your DIMMs and not only give you enough clearance for DDR3 with heatspreaders but the fan should also increase airflow over those fins. Even better, the test results that Hardware Secrets produced prove this is an effective design as well.

"The Prolimatech Genesis Black Series is a CPU cooler with two heatsinks, one vertical and one horizontal. It supports up to three 120 mm or 140 mm fans. Let's test it."

We love us some mini-ITX products that enable us to build powerful PCs and HTPCs in smaller chassis and using smaller footprints than traditional ATX and even MicroATX designs. We have reviewed several mini-ITX motherboards including EVGA's Z77 Stinger and even a couple of mini-ITX based pre-build computers like AVADirect Mini Gaming PC and the Digital Storm Bolt. All of these products showcase the capability to get incredible computing and gaming horsepower in a small design.

That is where the community comes in! The designers have started an Indiegogo.com project to help get funding from users like you and me to enable prototype units to be built and tested. I already tossed in a chunk of money from PC Perspective and I think once you see what they have designed you'll be interested as well.

The NCASE M1 is a new Mini-ITX case that raises the bar in performance, versatility, and design for SFF PC cases. With support for 12.5” GPUs, water or air cooling, and a variety of drive mounting options, the M1 offers unparalleled power and flexibility for its surprisingly small footprint, all wrapped in an elegant, minimalist aluminum exterior.

We've spent months perfecting the design using feedback from [H]ardForum community and Lian Li's engineers. Our goal is to take this design to production, and we need your help.

The next step before production is to test a prototype of the M1. The funding goal is the minimum we need to produce a prototype plus a small components budget to test fitment, thermals and noise.

The more funding we're able to raise, the more hardware configurations we'll be able to test for, which leads to a better product. If we achieve our funding goal, don't let it stop you from backing us! Every little bit will help make the M1 better.

A chassis design that is built not just but a single engineer in Taiwan but rather by actual users that want to perfect a product based on the input from the community DIRECTLY - it is an incredible goal!

I have included some additional images below but you should make sure you head over to the Indigogo.com project page and learn about the NCASE M1 and contribute any amount you can to make this a reality. Hopefully, in the not-too-distant future we'll be able to pick up one for ourselves and showcase it on PC Perspective!

"Seasonic's new SS-660XP comes to us boasting high end PSU features in what we can consider a smaller wattage package than what we are used to seeing. This PSU has a fully modular design, great efficiency, optional Hybrid fan control allowing fanless, silent, and normal cooling modes. Does Seasonic have another winner?"